Apologizing Quotes

Sociological Explanations

Sociologists theorize that people can live together in peace because of the development of a social hierarchy that ranges from dominant to submissive. Everyone in a group takes his or her place in the hierarchy. A certain degree of anxiety around others allows people to assess the level of threat that they pose, and helps maintain the balance between aggression and inhibition.
However, people with social anxiety tend to misinterpret others' behavior as more aggressive or powerful than it really is. As a result, a socially anxious person often will become overly submissive--blushing, not making eye contact, freezing, or withdrawing.
Sociologists believe this response may be the result of a fundamental fear of rejection. In monkeys, apes, and humans, being left to fend for oneself usually is a threat to survival. In social anxiety, people may see being judged as a threat to their position in the group. To them, rejection means failure.

Kyoto went through her day at school constantly apologizing to everyone. Whenever she walked down the hall, opened her locker, sat down in an empty seat, or got in line in the cafeteria, she always said "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry." Most of the time, she didn't know why she was apologizing. She always wanted to please others.
Kyoto's mother took her to see a psychologist because of Kyoto's anxiety. The psychologist helped Kyoto see that she misinterpreted others' behavior as being more ~ Heather Moehn

I'm sorry,' I whispered. I didn't know whether I was sympathizing with her broken heart or apologizing for a family who had had theirs broken, too. ~ Chelsey Philpot

Sacrifice is at the heart of repentance. Without deeds, your apology is worthless. ~ Bryan Davis

President Bush deliberately did not apologize for things and that's because advisers around him, including those there, felt that the press corps would jump on that and down his throat in a way that he couldn't recover from. So, especially on the war he was very careful on that line. ~ David Gregory

Now is not the time, he sternly reminded his cock. I'm busy apologizing to my assistant. ~ Jessica Clare

I be yellin out money over everything, money on my mind then she wanna ask when it got so empty. Tell her I apologize, happened over time. They say they miss the old Drake, girl don't tempt me ~ Drake

Saying 'I'm sorry' is saying 'I love you' with a wounded heart in one hand and your smothered pride in the other. ~ Richelle E. Goodrich

She would thump them both, and she would apologize to neither. ~ Kristin Cashore

Love?
Yes.
Gideon chuckled.
Why did you say yes like that?
Oh, I thought you were asking me a question.
I see.
Then he truly did see what she meant, and his heart flipped over in his chest.
Darling?
Gideon smiled at the warmth the endearment flooded him with.
Yes, Neliss?
Oh, nothing. Just fulfilling my end of the deal.
The deal?
Yes. You made me a deal.
You lost me, he sighed.
Legna lifted her head, propped an elbow up against the pillow of his chest, and settled her chin in her palm so she could look down at him.
"You said that I would get something very special if I called you that."
"Did I?" he asked, his eyes brightening with speculation as he thought back on it. "Actually, I think you have that confused with the deal about saying my name."
"I like your name," she said with a smile. "I always thought mine was awful snobbish. But yours has me beat hands down."
"My name is one of the finest and oldest names in all of our history."
"That's only because you have lived to be such an older tosser."
"Tosser?"
"British vernacular, luv."
"What are you, my dialect coach all of a sudden? Is this your idea of postcoital pillow talk?"
Legna giggled, apologizing with a clinging kiss on his lips. It clearly calmed him, making him smile in a very cat-versus-canary way.
"Is there something you would prefer I say?" she asked compliantly.
"That yes a few sentences ba ~ Jacquelyn Frank

I just was apologizing for maybe being a little goofy. ~ Guy Clark

Be honest, Look for areas where you can admit error and say so. Apologize for your mistakes. It will help disarm your opponents and reduce defensiveness. ~ Dale Carnegie

The Top 10 Most Effective Things That You Can Say: 1. Thank you very much. 2, You are so right. 3. How can I help you right now? 4. I ask that you ... 5. I apologize for for what has happened. 6. Why is that? 7. Are you willing to ... ? 8. I love you. 9. Will you help me? 10. Yes. ~ Thomas Leonard

I listened impatiently to the wisdom of the O'Neills for about twenty minutes until I could take no more (by this time Steve and Susan had me thumbing through the paperback). I slid the book across the desk at them and said, 'This is so much shit.'

That was a mistake because the word 'shit' on the lips of a pastor deeply offended their moral sensibilities. Such was the state of things among us. They took grave exception to the word SHIT, while I was expected to remain noddingly neutral toward their adultery. WELL, SHIT, I thought. Without apologizing, I tried to convince them I was merely 'upset' by the prospects of their separation. Gradually, I achieved the clinical tone that they so admired in the O'Neills and evidently expected in their country parson. ~ Richard Lischer

I'll be damned if I apologize for the choices I've made. They were hard decisions, but I had good reasons for making them. ~ Christine Feehan

I've heard attacks were made on coalition forces because of those. I apologize to the families of those who lost loved ones or were injured because of the photos. ~ Lynndie England

Stop apologizing and censoring yourself, you have every right to feel the way you do. Your feelings, your struggles, your emotions are all valid. ~ Jasmine Sandozz

Why must the woman apologize for not having a baby just because she happened to get pregnant? It's as if we think motherhood is the default setting for a woman's life from first period to menopause, and she needs a note from God not to say yes to every zygote that knocks on her door. ~ Katha Pollitt

Try things. Laugh a lot. Mess up. Apologize. Hug people. Take chances. Trust yourself. Lose things. Get over it. ~ Taylor Swift

I've always been amazed by the ease with which a stranger's life can be reconstructed by simply snooping through their belongings. Art and imagination combine to tell a tale that's more complete than even a fat printed biography could ever hope to equal. And Mr. Denning was no exception: His secrets were laid so bare that I felt I ought to be apologizing. ~ Alan Bradley

And you can shove your apology. If it can come out of your damned mouth, then you can stand by it. ~ Lora Leigh

I apologize for lying to you. I promise I won't deceive you except in matters of this sort. ~ Spiro T. Agnew

You don't have to apologize for being feminine in a male space. ~ Charissa Thompson

If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize. ~ Muhammad Ali

She glared at him. "I'm not asking you to apologize."
"Well, that's a relief.I doubt I could find the words. ~ Julia Quinn

It feels humiliating to be in a band where you have to be apologizing for one person all the time, ~ Mark Hoppus

He had a notebook. He took notes in it. It was always useful. And them Sybil, gods bless her, had brought him this fifteen-function imp which did so many other things, although as far as he could see at least ten of its functions consisted of apologizing for its inefficiency in the other five. ~ Terry Pratchett

Very few women have become famous for being who they actually are, nuanced and imperfect. When honesty happens, it's usually couched in self-ridicule or self-help. Dunham doesn't apologize like that-she simply tells her story as if it might be interesting. The result is shocking and radical because it is utterly familiar. Not That Kind of Girl is hilarious, artful, and staggeringly intimate; I read it shivering with recognition. ~ Miranda July

Dominic smiled. 'Good. Then it might not be such an expensive piece of ass after all. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some apologizing to do. A helluva lot of apologizing. Give me a week at least before you reschedule. Katherine is agitated,' he grimaced, 'and with good reason. I'm going to need a few days to calm her down. ~ C.C. Gibbs

For the first time in some years, I didn't care what Father said to me, even though I knew that by the end of the day my conscience would probably win out and I would end up apologizing to him as well. ~ M.L. LeGette

Oh, how the clouds stumbled in and assembled stupidly in the sky.
Great obese clouds.
Dark and plump.
Bumping into each other. Apologizing. Moving on and finding room. ~ Markus Zusak

Don't you dare try to apologize." His voice shakes. "This is not something you can bandage with a word or two and some hugging, or something. ~ Veronica Roth

I'm sorry.'
'For what?'
'For all of it.'
'No need to be. I'm living a life, you know? If people went around apologizing for every bad thing that happened to everyone, we'd be bored out of our fucking skulls. ~ Loretta Nyhan

Benjamin's expression turned regretful. "You're right. I'm sorry." Jason couldn't believe his ears. His younger brother was actually apologizing for something. "I appreciate that," Jason finally said. ~ John O'Riley

Is God really real?"This is a perennial question for the philosophy of religion. Fortunately, the Pythons have answers to it. Perhaps too many answers. If we asked Arthur, King of the Britons, he would certainly testify that God exists, speaks English, and can't stand people groveling, averting their eyes, ceaselessly apologizing, and deeming themselves unworthy. Yet when we begin inquiring into Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, "there is some doubt" about whether God is really real, or, to put it more philosophically, there is doubt over whether God's existence can be established through a valid argument. There is a long philosophical tradition of constructing rational arguments for the existence and attributes of God, and an equally long skeptical tradition of deconstructing those same arguments. The Pythons have been exemplary participants in the latter tradition, either through parody, or by echoing in a funnier and more succinct way the skeptical arguments of such philosophical predecessors as Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776). ~ George A. Reisch

So what should we say when children complete a task - say, math problems - quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let's do something you can really learn from! ~ Carol S. Dweck

I feel like this is a dream - and I apologize for how I dressed some of you. ~ Ray Romano

Don't bother apologizing because we both know it would have gone on if you'd never gotten caught. It isn't shame, it's fear that motivates your tears right now. ~ Shayne McClendon

If I need to apologize for misrepresenting God's love I'd rather apologize for overstating His love than for understating it. ~ Steve McVey

Forget it. Never explain; never apologize. You can either write posthumously or you can't. ~ Christopher Hitchens

No, I am not apologizing. He needs to apologize to me. He called me names all day and pushed me. It is funny how it went unnoticed, but you want to punish me, the good guy. When I defend myself, then you want to look? ~ Charlena E. Jackson

Joe Biden will speak to the nation's largest gay rights group during a human rights convention on Friday. Then on Saturday, he is scheduled to speak to them again to apologize for whatever he said in Friday's speech. ~ Jimmy Fallon

The Academy Awards was an amazing night. I know I kind of lost my mind a little bit. I apologize for that. That night went so fast; I can't remember what I said or what happened. ~ Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Never apologize for being yourself. ~ Paulo Coelho

Apologizing for our past sins may reveal character and for a time lessen anti-Americanism abroad, but if it is done without acknowledging that the sins of America are the sins of mankind, and that our remedies are so often exceptional, then it only earns transitory applause - and a more lasting contempt that we ourselves do not believe in the values we profess. ~ Victor Davis Hanson

You don't want to have to come into work on Monday already apologizing. I try to save my apologies for what I've done later in the week. ~ Ike Barinholtz

A lot of first-time filmmakers are almost apologizing for their movie by saying, 'Well, we only had 18 days to shoot, you know.' ~ Mark Waters

Research shows people believe others see their contributions to conversation as being memorable, but they aren't. You think everyone noticed when you stumbled in your speech, but they didn't. Well, unless you drew attention to it by over-apologizing. ~ David McRaney

In those early centuries of Christianity,
Christianity did not go into the world apologizing. It went to slay the powers
of darkness and undo the works of the devil, and it lived in holy triumph. ~ John G. Lake

For a moment I think to myself, which connection is quicker to God? Telepathically or by email? Maybe there's a quicker turnaround time if I email my problems. I should probably start by apologizing and doing something spiritual to make up for my long absence. Would an Angel with poor customer service etiquette respond to my email? Is there an 800 holy number to dial? If so, which manual would the Angel be reading from? The Bible or the Qur'an? Does it matter? Would the Angel have Sister Mary sitting next to her, watching and coaching her on how to talk to people with issues? And how do you handle four billion calls a day? I suppose I would have to wait my turn in line, just like everyone else. ~ Sadiqua Hamdan

The first reaction is surely the most natural one, but not always the most correct one; thereupon, the invention of apologies. ~ Criss Jami

If an Englishman gets run down by a truck he apologizes to the truck. ~ Jackie Mason

We can't go on apologizing all our lives, you know. ~ Nick Hornby

Upon graduation, go out into the world and try to find yourself. What do I mean by that? Read Socrates, no. Get a job? Not yet. Go out and do some crazy stuff. Don't hurt anybody including yourself, but take some risks. Travel a little bit. Make big mistakes that you have to apologize for. Do stuff that will make you relatable to the world. And whatever jobs you settle into, you will be better at it, for it. ~ Megyn Kelly

Canadians can easily 'pass for American' as long as we don't accidentally use metric measurements or apologize when hit by a car. ~ Douglas Coupland

I should stop apologizing for being overly analytical about this, even though I am sorry (not to you but in a deeper way, sorry for my brain chemistry and who I am. I do what I can that isn't heroin to modify it but I was born as anxious and obsessive as any incredibly gorgeous child ever could be.) ~ Lena Dunham

A general rule of etiquette is that one apologizes for the unfortunate occurrence, but the unthinkable is unmentionable. ~ Judith Martin

Leo lowered his screwdriver. He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, What am I gonna do with this guy?
"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."
"Lord of the Universe?" (Jason)
"Sure, you're all-bam! Lightning man. And 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars-" (Leo)
"Shut up, Valdez." (Jason)
Leo managed a little smile. "Yeah, see. I do annoy you."
"I apologize for apologizing." (Jason)
"Thank you." He went back to work, but the tension had eased between them. Leo still looked sad and exhausted-just not quite so angry. ~ Rick Riordan

I've already spent ten years of my life apologizing for that band. As their manager, that's all I really did. Apologize. For years afterward I'd walk into a hotel lobby and the receptionist would call to me, 'Mr. McGhee.' And I'd run up and drop to my knees and say, 'Oh, Jesus, I'm really sorry.'
They'd look at me funny and say, 'No, nothing's wrong. You have a telephone call.'
And I'd breathe a sigh of relief and thank the good Lord above that I wasn't managing Mötley Crüe anymore.

~ Doc McGhee. ~ Motley Crue

Sometimes, "I told him, as the darkness swirled closer and closer, "you just have to say you're sorry."
It's more than that, and I think by then I knew it. It's more than saying sorry.
It's meaning it. It's letting the apology change things. But an apology is where it has to begin. ~ Neil Gaiman

Don't apologize for what you think you did wrong. Apologize for what they think you did wrong. ~ David D. Burns

If someone burgles your house, and you knock them out, are you gonna apologize for knocking them out? No you're not, you're gonna stomp on their head, just like any other normal person would. ~ David Haye

The greatest virtue is not in forgiving those who apologize, or in being kind to those who are kind to you. The biggest virtue is in forgiving even those who never apologize, and in being kind to even those who are not kind to you. ~ Yasmin Mogahed

Genius goes around the world in its youth incessantly apologizing for having large feet. What wonder that later in life it should be inclined to raise those feet too swiftly to fools and bores. ~ F Scott Fitzgerald

Comics who grew up surviving their childhood by being able to be the first one to make the joke about their weight or their hairy arms - like me - whatever they're insecure about, whatever they're apologizing for, that becomes their strength. ~ Sarah Silverman

I'm a big fan of comedians not having to apologize for anything. Nowadays it seems comedians are always apologizing for being funny. ~ Kevin Dillon

I still have friends from primary school. And my two best girlfriends are from secondary school. I don't have to explain anything to them. I don't have to apologize for anything. They know. There's no judgment in any way. ~ Emma Watson

Never go back, never apologize, and never forget we're half the human race. ~ Bella Abzug

Before we go any further, I must warn you that the things I am going to share with you throughout this interview are very explicit. I can either censor the descriptions, or I can tell you in detail. The choice is yours. But if you want the detailed explanation, then you must be prepared for graphic language. I'm no fan of political correctness, so you can't expect me to keep apologizing if your delicate, sensitive ears are offended by language. ~ Jason Luke

The first step is that the Cambodian government has expressed sincerity to apologize for what happened. ~ Thaksin Shinawatra

I regret. I apologize. I blame myself. I continue as before. ~ Mason Cooley

I have nothing definite to apologize for; I'm just sorry about everything in general. ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

Suddenness," he says. " You do not prepare, you do not explain, you do not apologize. Suddenly, you go. And with you, you take all contemplation, all consideration of your own departure. All the suffering that would have come from knowing comes after you are gone, and you are not a part of it. ~ Tea Obreht

I didn't need one so pissed at his ex-wife he'd make me fall in love with him before apologizing for leading me on. He wanted to hurt women, and nothing froze my creative juices like heartache. ~ C.D. Reiss

Miss Rudy, the former Harmony librarian, had single-handedly held off a siege of the town council bent on cutting her funds. She had locked the library doors and hid the only key in her bra, living on water from the toilet tank after the town had shut off water to the building to drive her out. She ate paste to keep up her strength. Oh, they had underestimated her. On the fourth day, the men of the council had capitulated, apologizing for cutting the funds, begging her to open the doors and come out. But she had stayed in the library an extra day, just to show them one could live on books, then marched out at noon on the fifth day, her head held high, and three pounds heavier. She had gained weight! When word got out, her picture made the cover of American Libraries magazine. Admiring letters poured in from librarians around the world – beaten down, beleaguered librarians who had drawn strength from her bravery. She answered each one in flowing, Palmer-method, handwritten script. ~ Philip Gulley

When apologizing to a friend, there is a rule. You promise to do things differently next time, and you keep that promise no matter what. ~ Ging Freecss (Yoshihiro Togashi)

Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things and always apologize when you've done something wrong but don't you ever apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining. ~ Sarah Kay

Never apologize for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night. That is how galaxies are made. ~ Tyler Kent

A word about apologizing: It's hard to do it without digging yourself in deeper. It's also scary and that's why we avoid the pain. We want so badly to plead our case and tell our story. The bad news is that everybody has a story. Everyone has a version of how things went down and how they participated. ~ Amy Poehler

I smiled. "I understand now. But It doesn't matter and you needn't apologize. They have been very kind to me too. Even if we did differ a little about suitable dresses." He considered me a moment, a mischievous light creeping into his eyes, and said: "Was THAT the dress - that night you wouldn't come out of your room?"
I grinned and nodded, and we both laughed; ~ Robin McKinley

The nurses told me what you did, Livia. You made my heart beat in the woods." He looked at her lips and continued, "You gave me breath. Were you scared, love? I'm sorry."
"You're apologizing because you stopped breathing?" Livia wrinkled her nose.
He nodded reverently. "I left you in the clearing again."
"You took the bullet that had my name on it and let it lodge in your back," Livia responded. "You never left me in those woods. You gave me strength when I needed it. You don't need to apologize, but it's perfectly acceptable for you to never, ever stop breathing again." She touched his Sorry tattoo. ~ Debra Anastasia

Do you want me to apologize after every joke? If it doesn't offend somebody it's probably not a joke. It's probably an observation that's not funny. It's gotta offend somebody somewhere. ~ Jeff Ross

Apologies only account for that which they do not alter. ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Since civilizing children takes the better part of two decades
some twenty years of nonstop thinking, nurturing, teaching, coaxing, rewarding, forgiving, warning, punishing, sympathizing, apologizing, reminding, and repeating, not to mention deciding what to do when
I now understand that one wrong move is invariably followed by hundreds of opportunities to be wrong again. ~ Mary Blakely

Never retract, never explain, never apologize; get things done and let them howl. ~ Nellie L. McClung

People need to understand: Businesses are going to make mistakes. They shouldn't be shot and hung every time. We should apologize for it. We should make up for it. My shareholders paid for it. No customer was hurt, which is critical to me. But I hurt my shareholders, and I wish I hadn't. ~ Jamie Dimon

Before the code, women on screen took lovers, had babies out of wedlock, got rid of cheating husbands, enjoyed their sexuality, held down professional positions without apologizing for their self-sufficiency, and in general acted the way many of us think woman acted only after 1969. ~ Mick LaSalle

I don't see the point in apologizing to someone who remains angry enough to throw me off a cliff ... unless we are standing by a cliff. ~ Wes Fesler

It's said that I went into a rant, but I think it went on for about five words. I was drunk. It just turned into a big thing. I apologized profusely-not once but three times. So what's the problem? It's four years ago. Do I need to apologize again? ~ Mel Gibson

If a thing can be said in ten words, I may be relied upon to take a hundred to say it. I ought to apologize for that. I ought to prune, pare and extirpate excess growth, but I will not. I like words - strike that, I love words - and while I am fond of the condensed and economical use of them in poetry, in song lyrics, in Twitter, in good journalism and smart advertising, I love the luxuriant profusion and mad scatter of them too. ~ Stephen Fry

I've done some dastardly things but what can I do except make amends and apologize? ~ Stan Getz

[perfectionism leads to] a tendency to apologize preemptively for one's efforts, knowing from experience that there's sure to be something wrong with them. ~ William Westney

I hated Chris, my brother. I would pull his hair and kick him, until one day my father gave him permission to fight back. I'll be apologizing to him for the rest of my life. ~ Stevie Nicks

Apologizing with grace ~ Nicole Fenton

If you don't know why you're apologizing, your apology probably sucks. ~ Holly Black

I apologize if there's a Parkinson's painter in the audience. I assume you do your best work in the morning. Probably gets abstract by noon. ~ Daniel Tosh

During the Democratic presidential debate Howard Dean started off by apologizing to the crowd for having a cold. Then John Kerry apologized for once having a cold while serving his country in Vietnam. ~ Conan O'Brien

It's easier to explain price once than to apologize for quality forever. ~ Zig Ziglar

Love is a house with many rooms, this room to feed the love, this one to entertain it, this one to clean it, this one to dress it, this one to allow it to rest, and each of these rooms can also just as well be the room for laughing or the room for listening or the room for apologizing or the room for intimate togetherness, and, of course, there are the rooms for the new members of the household. ~ Yann Martel

I'm going home now. I apologize for what I said. I hope you can forget it, but I'm going home right now. ~ Benjamin Day

I regret that it has been necessary for me in this lecture to administer a large dose of four-dimensional geometry. I do not apologize, because I am really not responsible for the fact that nature in its most fundamental aspect is four-dimensional. Things are what they are. ~ Alfred North Whitehead